Story: A father called him about his three year old daughter. She had been hit by a car. He plead for a priesthood blessing. He had to fight the doctors to place a drop of oil on her head amidst bandages. Doctors said she was dying. They were wrong. She lived and also learned to walk again.

Those prepared are ready to answer.

Preparation begins at home, quorums, etc.

Steady Obedient Service.

Need:

To have faith, authority to act in the name of God.

Nephi – Given the authority to do miracles. He brought drought/rain, god gave him power and trust.

Story of a couple fighting and a child who got hurt as a direct result.

Anger doesn’t solve anything.

Destroys everything.

Heber grant story about work.

“Man is a fool who takes insult that is not intended”

Anger is Satans tool.

Story about Brother Marsh, how a result of a quarrel over milk and cream lead to the extermination order.

Story about two brothers who shared a 1 room cabin in New York. They got into a fight and drew a line down the center of the room. They did not speak or cross the line for 62 years. This story was told at a funeral.

-Read and study the conference talks in the November Ensign. It will inspire us. Incorporate the truths into our daily lives.
-Book of Mormon, Book of Ether Quote: Ye cannot cross this great deep, save I prepare you against the waves of the sea and the winds which have gone forth and the floods which shall come.

Story of Father who asked “What did you do for someone today?” at the dinner table each night.

King Benjamen “When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only int he service of your God.”

Savior taught us “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it. But whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”

He is telling us that unless we lose ourselves for service to others, there’s little purpose to our own lives.

“Man’s greatest happiness comes from losing himself for the good of others.” – President David O. McKay

At Baptism – covenanted to bear one another’s burden that they may be light.

Warm Fuzzies! Embodied by little things in a jar! 🙂

Notes from children who helped others:

“My grandpa had a stroke and i held his hand”

“My sister and I served my family by organizing and cleaning the toy closet. It took us a few hours and we had fun. The best part was that we surprised my mom and made her happy because she didn’t ask us to do it!”

“There was a family in my ward that did not have a lot of money. They have 3 little girls and mom and dad had to go somewhere, so I offered to watch the three girls. The dad was just about to hand me a 5 dollar bill. I said “I can’t take it”. My service was that I watched the girls for free.”

Mongolia – “Brought water from a well so his mother would not have to do so”

“My dad has gone for army training for a few weeks. My special job is to give my mom hugs and kisses”

“I picked strawberries for my great grandma. I felt good inside.”

“I played with a lonely kid.”

“I went to a ladies house and asked her questions. And sang her a song. It felt good to visit her. She was happy because she never gets visitors.”

Elder Richard L. Evens of the Quorum of the Twelve:”It isn’t easy for those who are young to understand the loneliness that comes when life changes from a time of preparation and performance to a time of putting things away. To be so long the center of a home, so much sought after, then almost suddenly to be on the sidelines watching the precession pass by, this is living into loneliness. We have to live a long time to learn how empty a room can be that is filled only with furniture. It takes someone beyond hired service, beyond institutional care, or professional duties to thaw out the memories of the past and keep them warmly living in the present. We cannot bring them back, the morning hours of youth. But we can help them live in a warm glow of a sunset made more beautiful by our thoughtfulness and unfeigned love.”

Preparing for school took a different turn for thousands of teenage Mormon students who, some 12 hours earlier, had learned of the death of their Church president, Gordon B. Hinckley.

The students responded to a flood of text messages from teens in at least six states, suggesting they arrive at school in their “Sunday best,” rather than their accustomed jeans or other casual clothes, as a symbol of respect and honor to their deceased leader.

A few of these students shared their thoughts about President Gordon B. Hinckley.

Being less than a year into this, I can’t say that I’m too affected by it. I have only really heard him speak once during the Semi-Annual General Conference. I enjoyed what he had to say in October and was looking forward to him this April.

I realize the progress this Prophet made for the church during his presidency and admire his works. The world went from 56 to 224 temples? Amazing!

So is it weird that I am not saddened by his passing?

No. I am happy for him! Happy because of the plan of Salvation.

I found out last night when my friend Mike gave me a call. I said a prayer for his family to have peace and comfort. I wasn’t saddened really, just a little surprised. I thought he was kidding around when he said he was hoping to make it to April’s General Conference.

He had lived a great life. I know where he has gone. He is with our Father in Heaven, his wife and his other family. And he will get his reward:

His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matthew 25:21)

If you are taking lessons from a missionary and decide to get baptized, there are certain things they want done before the actual baptism.

Today, there are four lessons before your baptism. Missionaries want to sure you understand what you are taking on by being baptized.

The four lessons are broken up by topic:

The Restoration

The Plan of Salvation

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Commandments

I will write about these four lessons at a future date.

You can decide to be baptized at any time during the four lessons. After committing to be baptized, the rest of the lessons (if any) will be taught before it is done. There is also a baptismal interview that is done before hand. This is done by a missionary district leader.

The following questions asked are:

Do you believe that God is our Eternal Father?

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world?

Do you believe that the Church and the gospel of Jesus Christ have been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith?

Do you believe that [the current Church President – which is Gordon B. Hinkley at this time)] is a prophet of God? What does this mean to you?

What does it mean to you to repent? Do you feel that you have repented of your past transgressions?

Have you ever participated in an abortion? A homosexual relationship? Have you ever committed a serious crime? If so, are you now on probation or parole? *

You have been taught that membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints includes living gospel standards. What do you understand of the following standard. What do you understand of the following standards? Are you willing to obey them?

Are you willing to keep the Sabbath day holy, including partaking of the sacrament weekly and rendering service to fellow members?

What do you understand of the law of chastity, which prohibits any sexual relationship outside the bonds of a legal marriage between a man and a woman? Are you willing to obey this law?

What do you understand of the Word of Wisdom? Are you willing to obey this law?

What do you understand of the law of tithing? Are you willing to obey this law?

When you are baptized, you covenant with God that you are willing to take upon yourself the name of Christ and keep His commandments throughout your life. Are you ready to make this covenant and strive to be faithful to it?

* – If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you will be sent to the mission president for a follow up interview.

These questions were taken from my own experiences and cross-referenced with Preach My Gospel Chapters 3 and 12. (Thanks Joey)

"As Latter-day Saints, we have become accustomed to thinking of 'Church' as something that happens in our meetinghouses, supported by what happens at home. We need an adjustment to this pattern." @NelsonRussellM #generalconference #ldsconf